Quick answer: This advertising disclosure explains how CarmanNews.co labels and handles advertising, sponsored content, press releases and affiliate arrangements. In short, every paid or company-supplied item is clearly marked, kept separate from our independent journalism, and disclosed in line with the FTC endorsement guidelines so you always know what you are reading.
Key takeaways
- Everything paid is labelled: advertising, sponsored content and press releases are clearly marked.
- Affiliate links are disclosed: where a link may earn us a commission, we say so.
- Separation: commercial content never poses as independent reporting.
- No hidden links: we do not sell undisclosed or disguised paid links.
- Standard: we follow the FTC endorsement guidelines.
Why we disclose
Trust is the whole point of a news publication, and disclosure is how we earn it. When money is involved in a piece of content, you have a right to know, so you can weigh it accordingly. This advertising disclosure sets out, in plain language, every way commercial arrangements can appear on CarmanNews.co and exactly how we signal them. If anything here is unclear, please contact us.
Disclosure also reflects the law and good practice. Advertising standards and consumer-protection rules in many countries require that paid promotion be identifiable as such, and the FTC endorsement guidelines set out clearly how paid and incentivised content should be labelled. We treat those expectations as a floor, not a ceiling: our aim is not merely to comply, but to make sure that any reasonable reader can immediately tell independent journalism from commercial content without having to look for the distinction.
Advertising
We display advertising — such as banner units and newsletter placements — around our content. Advertisements are visually distinct from editorial and, where useful, marked as advertising. Advertisers pay for visibility only. Buying advertising does not earn coverage, influence our reporting, or grant any say over what we publish.
Sponsored content
Paid articles — sponsored content — are labelled with a clear term such as “Sponsored” or “Paid content” at the top of the piece, so there is no ambiguity about who paid for it. Sponsored articles may be supplied by the sponsor or produced by our commercial team, but they are always identified as sponsored and are never presented as our independent journalism.
Press releases
Company-supplied announcements published through our press release service are labelled as press releases or company-supplied content. We review them for basic accuracy and compliance, but a press release reflects the issuing organisation’s message, not our editorial endorsement, and it is marked accordingly.
Affiliate and referral links
Some articles may contain affiliate or referral links. If you click one and then buy or sign up, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Where such links appear, we include a clear affiliate disclosure on the page. These arrangements never influence our editorial opinion or the products we choose to write about, and we do not sell undisclosed or disguised paid links anywhere on the site. When we recommend a product or service, it is because our writers judged it worth recommending, and the presence of an affiliate arrangement is disclosed so you can weigh it for yourself rather than being left to guess.
How we label commercial content
Our aim is that a reader can always tell, at a glance, whether they are reading independent journalism or commercial content. We use plain labels — “Sponsored”, “Advertisement”, “Press release”, or an affiliate note — positioned where you will see them, not buried in small print. If you ever encounter content on CarmanNews.co whose status is unclear, tell us and we will fix it.
We choose labels for clarity rather than to satisfy a technicality. That means placing them near the top of a piece rather than at the foot, using everyday words instead of vague euphemisms, and keeping them visible on every device. Where a commercial arrangement is unusual or hard to summarise in a single word, we add a short line of explanation so there is no room for doubt. The test we apply is simple: would an ordinary reader, glancing at the page, understand who paid for what? If the answer is anything less than a confident yes, the labelling is not good enough and we change it.
How commercial content stays separate
Commercial arrangements are managed separately from our newsroom. Advertisers, sponsors and partners have no influence over our independent reporting, cannot approve or veto coverage, and receive no preferential editorial treatment. Editorial decisions follow our editorial guidelines, not our revenue. For a fuller picture of our income and safeguards, see how we make money.
Third-party advertising technology
Some advertising on CarmanNews.co may be served or measured through third-party technology, which can involve cookies or similar tools to deliver and count advertisements. Where this applies, it is covered by our privacy information, and you can manage your preferences through the controls we provide. We aim to keep advertising technology proportionate and to prefer partners who handle data responsibly. This does not change the core principle of this disclosure: however an advertisement reaches you, it is identifiable as advertising and separate from our editorial content.
Our commitment to readers
We commit to disclosing every material commercial relationship, labelling all paid and company-supplied content, and keeping our reporting free from commercial influence. This is not a one-off promise but a standing standard we hold ourselves to, and one you are welcome to hold us to as well. Our coverage is never for sale.
We may update this advertising disclosure from time to time as our formats, partners or obligations change. When we make a material change, the revised policy applies from the date it is published here, so we encourage you to check this page if you want the current position. Keeping this document accurate and current is part of the same commitment to transparency that the policy itself describes, and we are always happy to answer questions about anything it covers.
CarmanNews.co is an independent news and explainer publication with a named editorial team and published editorial guidelines. Read more about us and see who we are on the team page. This advertising disclosure sits alongside those standards, and all commercial activity is disclosed under it and the FTC endorsement guidelines. Questions? Contact us or email [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
What is an advertising disclosure?
It is a statement of how a publication labels and handles paid or company-supplied content, so readers can tell it from independent reporting.
How do you label sponsored content?
With a clear term such as “Sponsored” or “Paid content” at the top of the piece, in line with the FTC endorsement guidelines.
Do you use affiliate links?
Sometimes. Where we do, we disclose them on the page, and they never influence our editorial opinion.
Does advertising affect your reporting?
No. Advertising and other commercial content are kept separate from independent journalism.
Do you sell paid links in your articles?
No. We do not sell undisclosed or disguised paid links anywhere on the site.
What should I do if a label is missing?
Please contact us and we will review and correct it promptly.
Where can I learn how you earn revenue?
See how we make money for a plain-language breakdown of our income and safeguards.